John Montgomery - A Seminar

John Montgomery held a tattoo seminar over at Joshua Carlton's Great American Tattoo Company, so it made sense to take a day off to travel and learn. So I woke up early and packed some essentials for my one man road trip: Gatorade, Red Bull, and season 4 of the Wire on my iPhone. I never look forward to an extended drive. But once I'm on the road, and my mind starts to find a zone, I enjoy the time to think.

I got a little lost, but arrived shortly before things began. Both John Montgomery and Joshua Carlton couldn't have been nicer guys. So the atmosphere was laid back, albeit slightly charged with excitement from me and a group of guys ready to learn.

John started from the beginning, showing us his stencil technique (which involves some wonderful contour hatching) and placement. Once tattooing, he then made a point to explain every thought behind his machine/needle movements. He was able to pick his own mind and give us some incredible insights: breaking down shadows, black foundational work, color blending, and so on. A bit like Bob Ross minus the cheeriness and afro. It was incredible.

What interested me was his illustration background. The experience has him rightly focusing on shapes, as opposed to just copying darks and lights. And with shapes captured, he allowed himself freedom to create off the cuff.

I'm sure some of what I picked up will make sense over time. Now, I'm just looking forward to tattoo some more and try stuff out. Oh, and the seminar was mic'ed and filmed with three seperate cameras. I'll make sure to keep you posted when the DVD is set for release.

Related Links
John Montgomery on MySpace
Joshua Carlton on MySpace